Hi /r/anthropology! I am currently conducting fieldwork with Haitian Vodou practitioners in Haiti and the diaspora for my PhD dissertation. I've been working with this community for almost six years now attending ceremonies and researching worldviews. This has included traveling to Jacmel where most of the diasporic community I'm working with is from. While there I got to see how the diaspora and local communities interact, share ideas, shape one another's worldviews, and witness initiations! It has been a wonderful experience and I put together a tiny album for y'all here. I'm happy to talk about Vodou, Haiti, diasporas, etc.!

Previously, I obtained my MA researching modern Vodou practices in New Orleans. That was almost seven years ago now so a lot of my data is outdated. But I still have contacts there and I'm still happy to chat about Vodou in New Orleans, Marie Laveau, pop culture, and how the Haitian community views New Orleans Vodou.

So AMA about my research, being a grad student, anthropology, academia, or whatever!

EDIT Thanks for all the great questions! I'm going to take a break but I'll check in later today and probably tomorrow to answer any straggler questions. It's a great day for anthropology!

EDIT 2 Wow! I didn't go on Reddit yesterday because I spent the day with family (Mother's Day and all that jazz). I woke up to a bunch of new questions and comments. I'll try to get to them this morning as I can.